Hiding Away
by Furious Frenzy
Summary: As hatred flares in the public, the X-Men, Brotherhood in tow, are forced into hiding. Character death & major angst. AU. ALL characters, Lancitty, Jott, one sided Kurtty, Tonda, and more. NEW CHAP : PROF VISITS PIETRO
1. The House

**Title: **Hiding Away

**Rating: **PG13/R

**Category: **Angst/Drama

**Summary:** As the public's hatred of mutants begins to seep its way into every aspect of society, the X-Men, Brotherhood in tow, are forced into hiding. No more school, no more institute. Just fear, pain, unity, and a shimmer of hope. AU (though not extremely, story does go in diff. direction). All characters!

**Warnings:** This is a dark fic, and though I will try and add light spots here and there, it does deal mostly with hate, ignorance, as well as very angsty themes. There will be character death (though most will be only mentioned), mentions of torture and inhumane acts, as well as hints of sexual abuse. If you don't *like* or can't *tolerate* any of these, don't blame me...just don't read the fic. Got it? Good. It's not my fault if you ignore the warnings and find things within that aren't to your tastes. Actual pairings will include Scott/Jean and Kitty/Lance, though there will be hints (often one-sided) of Kurt/Kitty, Todd/Wanda and some other random couplings that may or may not be mentioned. I'm too lazy to list all of them. 

**A/N: **I've been thinking about doing something like this for a long time. I tried to make it unique in some aspect to other fics, but I apologize for the redid theme of "normal humans turn on mutants". Hey, what can I say... it makes for good reading. n__n There will be lots of Kurt in this fic, with hints (*just* hints) of one sided Kurtty, as well as Pietro and the Brotherhood boys. I like Pietro, and I love Kurt... All the characters (Scott, Logan, Jean, etc) , however, will be included, though I can't promise that all of the minor/young institute kids will be involved. Don't worry, you should be able to get your fix *somewhere* in the fic... So, with that, enjoy. 

Please leave comments and reviews guys, they help me out! If you need to see more of something, don't hesitate to say so. I am open to suggestions. Constructive criticism is good, but not flames!

_Italics _will usually mean a train of thought, though I also use it for emphasis.

* Blah * is telepathic speaking, ie Xavier or Jean.

I'll do my best with Kurt and Rogue's accents.

----

The house stood precariously on the edge of a hill at the edge of a town at the very edge of the city, though, when asked about its existence, no one could give a straight address and very rarely directions. It was old and in places falling apart, with a great oak door adorning the front and two windows on every side and story. In fact, it stood two stories high, with a flat roof that panned out a few feet from the edge of the walls. The gutters were all filled with leaves, and the windows were boarded haphazardly with two-by-fours. Spider webs hung about the porch like Halloween decorations, and the once white paint of the building was now more of a gray. It was ominous and slightly frightening and yet it still, somehow, held a mysterious beauty to it.

To Kitty, it was a nightmare.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the other students let out small noises of excitement and wonder. The younger institute kids were already babbling about horror movies and ghosts, whispering in hushed voices about legends of crazy widows and murderous fiends whom had all supposedly inhabited the home. The older, more mature students were pulling moss and ivy off its tall sides and planning the repainting of the place. 

Jamie ran up its front steps and promptly fell onto his behind. Copies spread across the porch and yard.

Kitty had known she would hate the place before even setting eyes upon it. Just the idea and reason behind having to move into it was enough to cause her stomach to knot and twist, and her eyes to darken. She hated that they were hated, that they were being forced out of the life they had once known and into a life of segregation merely because of genes and science. The valley girl found nothing enchanting about the home. In fact, she loathed its every corner and stair. The house stood for everything wrong in her mind - everything immoral.

"Vhat do you zhink, Kätzchen?"

Kitty was mildly surprised that she hadn't jumped when Kurt had bamfed next to her, though she attributed that fact to her deep train of thought. She turned to face him, forcing a smile onto her face as best she could.

"It's...well..." She fought for a word. Tempted to describe to Kurt her _true_ feelings, she said instead ,"...it's kinda dumpy."

Kurt grinned, canines contrasting brightly against his dark fur. He was a bit disheveled looking, having traveled for hours crammed into a vehicle with no air conditioning. His fur matted in places and stuck to his sweaty skin, but he smiled all the same at his Kätzchen's disgust.

"Ja," he agreed, glancing briefly at the residence before them and chuckling to himself. "Herr Hank and Logan say that ve're going to fix it up though...Maybe ve can paint it blue like mein fur! Zat vould be_ sehr_ gut..."

This time, Kitty genuinely smiled. It wasn't a smile for the house, but for the blue, fuzzy elf posed beside her. Out of all the students, he was the one that seemed the most optimistic about the arrangements. He stood, tail waving anxiously and eyes twinkling. The funny and perplexing thing to Kitty was that he had nothing to be optimistic _about_. The other students, if the need arose, could easily hide their mutancy. But Kurt...well, his hiding was a little harder. Even with the image inducer there was always a danger that someone would touch him and discover the fur underneath, or even that the inducer's batteries would run low or go "on the fritz". Then he would be forced, like Hank, to live a life locked behind doors, unable to show his face...

Or, even worse, taken into custody and _away_. The mutants weren't exactly sure what away meant, though many of the students suspected that the professor, Ororo, Hank and Logan all knew. Before moving from the institute, the four would often gather secretly in Xavier's office for meetings. The kids knew it was something serious because the whole corridor would be locked off. Any student stupid enough to eavesdrop was promised proper and swift punishment.

All they knew was that away was bad. Though none of Xavier's children had been taken (some had merely gone home to their parents), parts of the Brotherhood had. Freddy and Wanda had both disappeared at the same time. Pietro had gone next, though no one was sure if he had taken off or been captured. One day Lance and Todd had simply appeared at the institute's front gates, fear hidden in the depths of their eyes. They had asked indignantly to stay, hoping to take cover inside the mansion's security systems. Xavier had agreed.

Soon, though, not even the institute was safe. Authorities began showing up, asking to have files on all the mutants residing there. Then they began asking to see each student, lining them up in the front room like criminals. They even took pictures. Kurt, terrified of being seen blue and fuzzy, had taken refuge with Todd below the main rooms during these sessions. Each child often came out of them with tears in their eyes.

The Mutant Registration Act was soon passed. The kids were no longer allowed to attend the public school, and instead a "mutant education facility" was proposed by the government. Stores began to post signs forbidding mutants from entering. All with mutancy were required to show cards upon entering public places, detailing their name and power. 

After that, the adults agreed it was time to move.

And so they came to the house. It was located far enough from the main city that police and the FBI would have to make an effort to find it, but it was close enough to civilization to obtain food and other supplies. Hank had visited it beforehand and had been pleased that it was in the middle of a forest, with enough rooms for students to bunk and caves nearby in case of emergency. The plan was that they would stay there, while the professor busied himself trying to tackle the government about the situation. Hank, Logan, and Ororo would watch over the children. They would wait out the storm, or at least wait until a final decision had been reached on what to do about the mutant populace.

"I don't think any amount of fixing up will, like, make this place any better," Kitty said at last, her smile disappearing.

"Not even ze blue paint?"

"No Kurt..." A heartbeat, and Kitty flashed him another reassuring smile. Her eyes were still soft and sad, but she poked him playfully. "Besides," she snorted, "blue paint isn't exactly stealthy."

The blue mutant laughed, bamfing away and leaving Kitty alone, once again, with her thoughts.

-----

"Oh Scott...I think it's kind of romantic..."

Scott's cheeks turned a slight shade of red as Jean played with the edges of his shirt, running her hand along the skin underneath. Both were standing in front of the home, taking in its details. Fall leaves fell about them in reds and oranges with the breeze. Children laughed nearby, birds sang. It really was, despite the circumstances, romantic.

"I think it will be _more_ romantic once all the dirt and cobwebs are gone," he responded, taking her arm and leading her toward the front steps, past the Jamies. With one, swift motion, he pushed the door open and swept Jean into his arms.

"Scott!" she yelped, playfully swatting him upside the head. He just grinned.

"What? I'm carrying my lady over the...er...threshold."

The said threshold was draped with broken spider webs, all left dangling from the movement of the door. He frowned, but Jean merely moved them aside with a swipe of her mind. 

Before he could move in, however, a blue, German mutant appeared before them in a cloud of dark smoke.

"Kurt --"

"Guten tag Scott und Jean! Checking out ze house?"

Scott glared. "Yes, _Kurt_, we are checking out the house." Annoyance was apparent in his voice.

"Und vhat do you zhink?"

Scott sighed, setting Jean back on her feet and rolling his eyes beneath his glasses. Under normal circumstances he would have yelled at Kurt, or scolded him, or at least forced the boy aside. But now...well, now it was different. Life was different. 

Besides, Jean had told him he needed to be more patient.

"I like the house, Kurt," Jean piped up suddenly, smiling broadly. She elbowed Scott.

"Erm...I like it too. It's..._homey_..."

Satisfied with the answers given to him, Kurt disappeared with an implosion of air. Scott threw his hands up in exasperation.

"So much for romance..."

Jean smiled at her boyfriend's annoyance. "Scott, he was just trying to be cheerful. I think he senses the tenseness of the whole thing..."

It was true. Most of them, in fact, sensed that the air was tainted with fear and a foreboding sense of dread. Kurt wasn't used to that. He had spent life trying to make the best of every situation, and in this one he just wasn't sure how to. So instead he spent his time bamfing about, making sure that each student was okay emotionally. He liked to be cheerful, and hoped that through his cheerfulness others would become happier themselves. The German was positive that things would work themselves out in one way or another. 

God would never let the situation go downhill. At least, that's what Kurt kept telling himself.

-----

"Kids! Students, staff, everybody come on in..." Hank waved wildly about for the mutants to gather inside the home. The smell of mold and dust met each of their senses as they entered, causing a simultaneous wrinkling of noses. 

The house wasn't any better inside than it was outside. 

"I know it looks very..._unwelcoming_ now," Dr. McCoy began, eyeing each student as he did so. "But soon it'll be just like home."

Off in the far corner, Lance snorted.

Ignoring the disapproving noise, Ororo picked up where her colleague left off. "Of course, kids, in order to make it look like a home, we're going to need help from each and everyone one of you. We'll need paint, for one --"

"What colors?" Bobby interrupted, stepping forward. "What color are we gonna paint the place?"

All of a sudden, the room was buzzing with ideas. 

Jean, eyes sparkling with visions of a summer home, declared that white should be the color. Jamie liked the color yellow. Amara and Tabitha agreed that the color should be bright. Kitty wanted it soft.

Suddenly, Rogue was in the center of all the commotion. 

"Gahs!" she yelled, putting up a gloved hand. "We can't just go and paint this place anythin' we want!" The goth paused, sighing deeply. "Ah think we need ta considah paintin' it brown..."

Her suggestion was met with dead silence.

"Kids," Ororo's soft voice filled the room. "Rogue is right - we need to blend in..."

"I know you want to have fun guys, but...we're in _hiding._ We can't afford to be discovered, not with what's going on. Therefore, there's going to be a few rules..."

Hank cleared his throat, taking a deep and shaky breath.

"The house doesn't have a great water heating system, so first off - showering is going to be hard. Logan, Ms. Munroe and I still need to discuss it, but you'll probably all end up having only having a short amount of time to wash yourselves. Girls, I understand you have hair issues, but you're going to need to speed it up, understand?" Audible groans rose from the group. "We all want hot water, so we're each going to have to make a few sacrifices along the way." He looked pointedly at Kurt, who had a worried glitter in his eye. "I understand your predicament Kurt, so we'll have to create a special schedule for you. I myself don't mind cold water, and Logan has expressed that he can find other places with access to a shower. We'll work it out though."

Logan, who had been silent thus far, spoke up. His voice was deep and concerned, hating what had to be done.

"Going to the movies, or to the mall, and anything like that isn't going to happen, kids. It's too risky. Remember that the cops have our pictures, so being spotted walking around ain't a good idea. They're probably looking for us even now."

Kitty frowned deeply as a few of the younger kids looked to the floor, their eyes misting over. Logan was right - the police were probably searching the mansion at the moment. Now that the "act" was passed, unregistered mutants were cause for panic. The sudden disappearance of a school of mutants had definitely caught the authority's attention.

"You'll all need to stay in or around this place," Logan continued. "Don't worry about food or clothes, we'll take care of that. Myself and Scott will be picking up supplies for fixing this place up tomorrow afternoon." Across the room, Scott nodded solemnly.

Ororo swallowed. "Trips outside the house need to be confirmed with an adult first. We don't mind if you want to explore the surrounding area, or play nearby, but please make sure that an adult or one of the older kids is with you first."

"Each room will hold six or more of you. We've got bunks coming in, so there will be two to a bed. We should all be able to fit, but there are extra cots just in case." Hank smiled. "You may choose who you want to room with, but please try not to leave anyone out..."

-----

Todd and Lance both grimaced as the meeting came to a close. The room was dim from lack of lighting and the quickly disappearing sun, but Todd could see perfectly through the crowd of mutant children around him. They were all whispering amongst each other, or grabbing friends and pointing from across the room. All were choosing their bunk and roommates for the next...well, for all they knew it could be forever.

No one in the room even glanced at Lance and Todd. The two Brotherhood mutants stood side by side, invisible to everyone.

"So uh..." Todd's long, green tongue rolled lazily out of his mouth, before disappearing again. "I guess it's you and me, yo..."

"Yeah." Lance's eyes searched the room, finally landing on target. Kitty turned just in time, locking eyes with his before giggling at something another girl had said and turning away. "Hold up Todd, I'm gonna go talk to someone..."

"Ah man! Not that valley girl again, yo!" 

Ignoring his friend's whining, Lance pushed his way over to Kitty. She smiled softly as soon as she saw him, her eyes bright and hopeful.

"Ummm...hey Lance," she said quietly, her posture and mannerisms immediately changing. "Some situation huh? It's like, totally creeping me out..."

"Yeah, it's kind of nerve wracking..."

Kitty just nodded, suddenly serious again. "I really hate this place, Lance. It's...I dunno, there's something bad about it. Maybe it's just that we're being forced to live here but...I like, really hope this isn't going to last..."

"Don't worry, Pretty Kitty." Lance put a strong arm around her small shoulders, drawing her closer to his warm body. To her, everyone and everything around them seemed to disappear. She could feel his heart beating strongly against her...

Kurt watched with sad eyes as Lance whispered into her ear.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to us," the rock tumbler murmured. "Everything's gonna be just fine."

TBC...

Next chappie will be more interesting and character oriented. I promise! Angst, drama, death, ickiness...I promise. This one was just to start things off. I will be answering reviews in the beginning of the next one.


	2. Of Spyke and Blood

To **Dusty, KS-fan, melissarxy1, Winter Fire, and HoneyBug17**: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the first chapter.

PS: Evan is present. This *is* an AU, after all. :P There will also be a couple OCs, but they have nothing to do with anything, they are simply there because...well, there are too few kids.

I'm not gonna have Todd say "yo" after everything. That's just stupid. And forgive me if there are discrepancies in Kurt's accent - it *really* annoys me. :P

-----

Kurt eyed his bunk up and down. It was an okay bunk bed, though plain, which sat against a window at the back of the room. Brown and wooden, it had not even the slightest hint of pattern along its beams. Instead the wood was perfectly smooth and looked almost fake. The space between the top and the bottom was sufficient, though whoever lay on the lower part would get a doozy of a headache if they sat up too fast during the night. Kurt figured, looking it over, that they had been forced to buy cheap beds because of the volume they would need, not to mention the situation they were in. It was all good with Kurt though, just as long as he had a place to sleep.

His bunk partner was Scott. Hank and Ororo had both decided that in every room an older mutant would have to be present. Scott, Hank and Logan were assigned to the boys' rooms, and Ororo and Jean to the girls'. Altogether there ended up being only ten boys and eight girls, including Jean, Scott and some of the newer students. 

There were twenty one people living in one house; twenty one people hiding from society. 

Because there were only four bedrooms, there was three bunk beds in each boys' room, and two in each of the girls'. The upper floor consisted just of these rooms, with a bathroom at the end of the hall. Ororo, Tabitha, Amara, and a new student named Silvia shared one room, while Jean, Kitty, Rogue and two new recruits, Mandy and Cris, shared the other. There ended up being a cot in one of the rooms. No one wanted the bumpy thing, but a compromise was made - all the girls agreed to switch off each week. 

Hank was given watch over a slug of boys - Jamie, Roberto, Ray, Bobby, and Sam. Scott and Logan would sleep in a room with Kurt, Todd, Lance, and, much to the two Brotherhood boys' dismay, Evan. 

Ororo's nephew had, of course, complained to the fullest. Why did _he_ have to share a room with "Stink boy" and "Rock head" - the names he had so _kindly_ given them - and Logan? "Auntie O" had sat him down and talked to him at length about the subject, and he had finally, albeit reluctantly, agreed with the arrangements. 

Now he was grudgingly rolling out his sheets on a top bunk, balancing precariously on the edge of the bottom one. He mumbled something that Kurt could just barely make out, and the blue mutant looked sideways at him. 

"You shouldn't say zhings like zhat, Evan," he said quietly. Evan was his friend, and he could understand that the mutant was frustrated and angry, but there was no need to speak about people like the boy had just done. Kurt wasn't thrilled that he had to sleep in the same room as Todd either, but he also realized that circumstances called for it. He had already been living in the same house as the two Brotherhood boys a week before, and Todd hadn't once harassed him with true malice in mind. The German figured that they were too preoccupied to do so. After all, three of their friends had been taken, disappearing without a word. Kurt had heard rumors around the mansion that Todd had come home to the Brotherhood House to find blood on the walls of their kitchen, and had refused to eat for days afterward. Kurt wasn't sure what to believe, but he knew that it had to be hard for them. 

Evan snorted loudly, meeting Kurt's gaze. 

"Those guys are no good," he said with finality, slapping his pillow onto the mattress and frowning. "You don't know them." 

"I know zhat zhey've been--" 

"Look, man, why do you _defend_ them?" Evan climbed off of the bed, hands on his hips. He was suddenly, in a flash, angry as a bull. "They've done nothing but give you _shit_ the last couple years! Pietro did nothing but give _me_ shit! They all got what was coming to them!" 

"Pietro could be _dead_ Evan! DEAD! Zhey could all be dead!" Kurt shook his head, eyes wide. "Death is nozhing to talk lightly about, mein freund...not even vhen it's your enemy!" 

Evan waved off Kurt's annoyance with an outstretched hand, and turned back to the bunk. "Do you really think _they'd_ care if _you_ were dead, man?" 

"Zhat's not zhe point..." 

"Just drop it." 

The two stood in silence for a moment before Evan sighed heavily, pushing past Kurt and exiting their room. The blue mutant continued to stand where he was, staring straight ahead, his eyes heavy and moist. 

What had things come to? 

----- 

Todd placed a greenish hand over his equally green tinted face, groaning loudly as Lance announced he was going out. The young, frog-like youth couldn't understand what his friend saw in that stupid valley girl. Yeah, she was pretty...but she was also brainless, selfish, whiny, bratty, _mean_... 

"I _know_ what you're thinking Todd..." 

Todd Tolensky frowned, cocking an eyebrow. 

"No you don't, yo. Ya move rocks, not read minds!" 

"I don't have to be telepathic to know what's going through your head," Lance retorted, pushing an odd strand of hair away from his face. "It's written all over you." 

"Fine then, _guess_ what I'm thinkin'." 

Lance grinned, turning to face the boy in front of him full on. He put on his best "Toad" voice. "Kitty's so _stuuupid _yo! I don't like her yo! Why does Lance, yo, go out with her, yo, when, yo, there are other, yo girls --" 

"I don't say 'yo' _that _much!" Todd growled, crossing his arms and eyeing Lance up and down. "But yeah, that was pretty much what I was thinkin'...yo." 

"Well, mind your own business then. I'm going out." 

"Whatever." 

And with that, Todd was by himself. 

The kid sighed. What was he supposed to do alone? He was stuck in a house with a bunch of geeks who would probably pay money to see him beaten/mauled/thrown out/killed...or who would gladly turn him over to the government. He didn't exactly want to hang around these people. 

He squatted down on the scuffed tile floor of the kitchen, chewing on his lip and thinking. 

He didn't mind at all that the house was old, nor that it was falling apart. It wasn't, in fact, much different than where the Brotherhood had lived most of their time in Bayville. Todd didn't even care that he was being bunked in a room with Fuzzy, though he _was_ irritated that they had put skater boy there as well. He knew the kid hated him, but that wasn't the problem. Hell, most of the kids in the place hated him. It was the fact that Evan _announced_ his hate so readily. At every movement, every word, Evan was on him about _something_. It down right pissed Todd off, but what could _he_ do about it? His staying here was the only protection he had from whatever was after the mutants. He didn't want to jeopardize that safety at any cost. 

Todd eyed the kitchen around him, soaking up the details. The room was filthy, the surface beneath him cracked, the walls smudged...There was a giant chunk missing from the floor in the corner, and pipelines could be seen underneath. A black spider made its way up one of the table legs, and for a moment Todd contemplated having himself a snack. There was about an inch of dust on the window sills, and the cupboards were mostly likely all bare... 

It looked a lot like the kitchen at the boarding home. The kitchen that he and the boys had squabbled in many times, the kitchen that never held any food, where Lance would complain about finances and Pietro would zip around just to annoy him. It was where Fred could often be found, his large rump hanging out of the open fridge. Wanda would sometimes sit in it, staring out the window. 

There was a flash in his memory, a blip of something... 

Blood was suddenly splattered before his eyes. 

Todd gasped, jumping backwards and into the counter. Red was slowly spreading across the cabinets, long streams of it decorating the pastel yellow of the walls like a painting. It dripped in rivulets down the counters, pooled on the floor. 

The walls read "die mutie", the words painted in crude, bloody handwriting.

The room smelled of death.

And then it was all gone. 

Todd let out a small sob, his breathing hitched and broken. It was what he had found in the kitchen the day that Wanda disappeared. Freddy had never come home. He had been seeing it in his mind ever since, like a horrible nightmare or something from a slasher movie. The room had reeked of blood and pain and death. 

Later, Lance had discovered that the locks on the house had been broken, that their rooms had been vandalized, that there were more angry words on the walls of their bathroom. 

Todd cried. 

Wanda was gone. He knew, somehow, that that blood had been hers, that the odor in the room was the smell of her death. She was dead, killed somehow in their home, her blood painted on the walls. Lance had tried to explain to him that Wanda was too strong, that she could have easily taken on an army, but Todd knew. Somehow, Wanda had been taken. Fred had been taken. Pietro had been taken. 

It was just Lance and him now, the last of the Brotherhood living with the X-Men. 

He was breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face and shoulders heaving up and down. Why? Why Wanda? Why his love? 

She had never returned his affections. The scarlet witch had eventually become nicer about them, but she'd never looked at him the same way he looked at her. It didn't matter though - in Todd's mind she would have come around. In a dream, he'd imagined them kissing passionately by the beach, like he'd read once in a magazine. Chicks dug that sort of thing. He'd given her flowers, bought her chocolates. They'd gone to a movie, gone to the beach. 

Of course, in his dream he wasn't pale and slimy. He didn't reek. He didn't eat bugs. 

Who would kiss a person who ate bugs? 

There was a soft implosion next to him, and Todd nearly jumped out of his skin. Smelling the familiar odor of burning brimstone, he quickly wiped at his wet eyes in a lame attempt to get rid of the tears. 

"...Todd?" 

Kurt had noticed the wet shine on the boy's cheeks, and knew right away what it was from. He stood looking at the boy before him, faint worry etched into his eyes. 

"Are you okay?" 

Todd nodded slowly, biting his tongue so he wouldn't say anything stupid or mean. He turned his face away from the blue mutant. 

"I'm okay, yo...thanks..." 

Kurt merely nodded, unsure of what to say. His tail thrashed noiselessly behind him. 

"Um...do you know ve are in zhe same room?" 

"Yeah." 

More silence. Kurt blinked twice, wrinkling his nose. What was he _supposed_ to say to a former, apparently crying, enemy? He took a tentative, two-toed step toward the 'Toad', willing his tail to stop moving. 

"Look...Todd..." He paused, going over the words. "If you ever need to talk, I vill listen...okay?" There, he'd said it. 

Todd turned around, a puzzled look on his features. _Did Fuzzy just say what I thought he did?_

Kurt swallowed. "Look, Todd, ve're all in zhis together, ja? Ve can't keep hating forever..." For a moment Kurt's mind flashed back to Evan, but he shook it off. 

"O...okay..." Todd looked at the fuzzy mutant, and suddenly felt lighter, almost better. Under normal circumstances, maybe he would have scoffed at Kurt's offer. But now...he felt grateful, and relieved. "Thanks, yo, that's real...nice and stuff." 

Kurt smiled a bit, mentally sighing in relief that he hadn't completely freaked Todd out. His eyes shifted over the kitchen, and suddenly he remembered why he was there. 

"Do you zhink zhat Herr Logan has bought any food yet?" 

-----

Evan stalked through the house, his mind ablaze. Why did Kurt insist on _always_ doing this? Always defending those stupid delinquents? 

"Evan?"

Spyke stopped, his muscles rippling in concealed anger. Auntie O was slowly walking toward him, her eyes soft and kind like always, but with a hint of sadness hidden in their depths. She was worried for her nephew, for his health and for his mind. Evan was an angry child, with an easily provoked temper and uncontrolled rage. The African woman was afraid that, under the circumstances, this rage would mean harm - either to him or someone else.

"What do you want Auntie O?" Evan said quietly, forcing himself to calm. He could hear Kurt's voice coming from the kitchen, mixed with Todd's, and he was suddenly tensing up again.

"Are you all right?" 

Perhaps putting him in a room with the two Brotherhood children had not been the wisest of decisions, but she had told herself that it would be healthy for him. He needed to get used to it, and isolating him from his enemies would do nothing to help.

"I'm fine, just peachy."

The weather witch coughed, knowing he was anything but "peachy". She looked at him as a mother would a small, lying child.

"Evan..."

"Look, you know what's bothering me! I'm stuck in a a shithole with a bunch of idiots who think that sitting in this place will save them from the world!" Evan shook his head. "It's _not_ going to save us Auntie O, nothing is... We're all going to die and you know it." He spat out these last words with such hate, such accusation in his voice, that Ororo had to take a step back from him. Did he really think that they had put him here to die, to wait out his death?

"We're not going to die Evan," she whispered. Evan laughed at her, his anger and disbelief evident.

"You're just as stupid as they are."

TBC...

Yesh, kinda bad chapter, but oh well. I am sorta rushed during the week because of school, and this weekend will be full, so I wanted to get it done. Please R&R!


	3. Midnight Outings and Magneto

**Mandy**: Thanks for your awesome and enthusiastic review! :)

**Jacob**: I promised death, etc and it will come, though I won't make gore...I don't think. This thing is probably going to be kinda long, don't worry. Writing is hard when you have school and doctor's appointments, but I'm trying to work as quickly as I can! Thnx for the review. :P

**Charmed1s**: Glad you like it. And yes, I did hear about that whole spelling thing...I think it's absolutely great. n__n Though, since the forward I got, it seems to be popping up everywhere!

**KS-Fan**: I don't like Evan very much either (did you see "Uprising"? EEW!), but I'm trying to write him more realistically than I've seen...sometimes it's just *all* Evan bashing, and I certainly don't want it to boil down to that! To me, Evan seems like a very angry, temperamental boy... Just an observation. Thnx for the review, I really do appreciate it.

**Dusty**: There will be Lancitty, though no actual sex. Teehee... 

Thanks to all who reviewed on the last chapter. You are what keep me going! Warnings still apply, though not necessarily for this chapter. They are as follows: Character death, angst, dark themes, sexual abuse/rape, inhuman acts, torture, racism (mutantism? :P), mild language, and sexual situations. The last one applies for THIS chapter. Forgive me if things are a bit OOC, but the characters on Evo are often very...er..._shallow_, and without depth, at least they are for me. I'm taking the liberty of giving them some.

-----

The moon was high in the sky that night, a yellow orb that illuminated the forest around the house sitting precariously on a hill. Inside of the house, its inhabitants were spending their first night in their new bunk beds, some dreaming of cake, some of girls, some of freedom.

In the boy's room, Scott's to be exact, Todd was snoring loudly. He groaned in his sleep, brown hair flopping from side to side as he tossed beneath the thin sheets. 

Kurt made a noise also, though his was a good sound. He was dreaming of the cool ocean against his fur, what it would feel like to dive into its depths.

Logan was no where to be found, out wandering the grounds somewhere. Scott dreamt only of Jean. His tongue moved along the insides of his mouth in unrestrained pleasure, his cheeks flushing against the pillow. 

Lance was wide awake, waiting.

A figure silently floated up through the floor.

Kitty surveyed the sleeping boys before her - the messy hair, the boxers - and had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from making any noise. She padded silently along the boards and over to where Lance lay, holding out a hand to him. He looked at her playfully, his eyes gleaming with hers in the faint moonlight that came through the window. The mutant teen took the delicate hand before him and both of them descended to the first floor and onto the table she had used to get up through the ceiling.

Once in the kitchen, they finally dared to speak. Their hushed whispers were the only sound in the house.

"Like, I hope Mr. Logan doesn't come in..."

"Aw Kitty, even if he did we aren't doin' anything wrong...yet."

She eyed him, her eyes becoming softer. "Do you want to go outside or something? The moon is so beautiful..."

Lance had to force himself not to snort, or roll his eyes. Girls could be so..._mushy_ sometimes. He didn't mind getting her flowers, or eating a "romantic" dinner, but sitting in the moonlight was not quite his thing...

"Um, if you really want to..."

In an instant, he was passing through the kitchen wall, out to the forest. 

"Sorry Lance, I just like, think that place is kinda trashy, ya know?"

Ever since they had arrived she had been saying the same thing, going on about how she hated its walls, its color, its feel. She'd gone from "creepy", to "messy", to "stuffy", to "cramped" in just a few hours.

"Kitty, it's our first night here. Once we get everything up, it'll be a _lot_ better." He put a strong arm around her. It was, in truth, his favorite thing to do, almost more so than the kissing and making out. He liked how delicate she was, that she fit perfectly beside him and against his body. She would always lean into him. Her soft hair would brush against his cheek and chin, her hands drawing circles along his back. This time was no different, and as they walked around the house she clung onto his shirt as if he were the only thing keeping her upright.

"What if things don't get better?" she whispered, her voice still beautiful to his ears. She stopped suddenly. "What if, like, this place doesn't do any good?"

"Kitty-"

"What about all the other mutants, the ones who don't have an old, creepy house to hide in?" Kitty looked to the ground. She needed to talk, needed to tell someone how she felt, her fears and misgivings. As a Jew, knowing her family's history, she had a _lot_ of them. "What if, Lance, they turn this into another Holocaust?"

Lance sighed. "Kitty, look - there are so many activists and human rights people out there today that I don't think it will ever get to that point..."

"What if it does?" she pressed, lips pursing in sadness. "If they came for us, wanted to take us and put us in horrible camps, what would happen? Like, what would they do to us?"

"_Nothing._ They can't, it's impossible. No one is gonna let people just slaughter mutants!" This night was going like he hoped. Things weren't heating up, at least, not in the way he had been wanting them too...

Kitty let out a small sob, clutching his nightshirt tighter in her small hands. "I'm worried Lance, and scared. Everyone is so afraid of us... who's to say they, like, wouldn't act on that fear? Just want to get rid of us? I'm afraid for Hank, and for poor Kurt, that someone's gonna see him and take him away and treat him like an animal. They'll do it Lance, I know they will. They'll humiliate him, hurt him, _burn_ him..." Her mind was flashing, horrible images from horrific Holocaust films going through her mind. "They'll...they'll separate the boys from the girls, the kids from the grownups. They'll put us in cages Lance! We'll be stripped and diseased and starving, and no one will care, no one will like, help us..." Kitty let out a strangled breath, her shoulders shaking, and she pulled away from her boyfriend. She suddenly remembered all the stories her grandfather had told her. "I'll watch you die," she whispered, her voice strangely hollow. "I'll watch Scott die and Jean die and Evan and Kurt and Jamie and Ray and Bobby and Amara and...and...we'll all be _gone_." 

Lance stared, mouth open, unsure of what to do as his girlfriend became more and more hysterical before his eyes.

"Have you seen those videos Lance? Those people? They burned them! They put babies into furnaces and BURNED THEM! They killed so many..."

"We have powers Kitty, if it all comes down to it we could just --"

"They'll stop it, they'll stop it! They're so afraid, Lance, they hate us so much. They'll drug us, or beat us. They'll do whatever they have to to keep us at bay, so they can kill us!"

Lance had never seen Katherine Pryde like this before. She freaked out sometimes, yes, but about stupid things like Kurt's hair in her lunch, or about a zit or a blemish. This time she was in hysterics, her arms in the air as she babbled about the Holocaust, about how mutants would be rounded up and shot and murdered in the streets. She was crying openly, gagging on her own spit. Her mind kept going in circles, her grandfather's voice sounding in her head, the skeletons and ghosts of the Holocaust telling of the things that had been done to them.

Kitty Pryde was terrified.

"Kitty, come on, settle down..." Lance grabbed her wrists, forcing her arms to her sides before encircling her in a hug. He wasn't sure what to say, it had all come on so suddenly and unexpectedly. "You can't keep thinking things like that, babe, they're not good for you..."

"I can't _help_ it. Every time I look at someone in that house, I see it in their eyes."

Lance swallowed heavily.

"I can't help but think that, like, this is becoming the Nazis in Germany all over again."

"It _won't_ be Kitty, have a little faith..."

She stopped crying, and instead sank to the ground. Her knees hit with a loud crunch as leaves beneath her shattered in orange and red. Shoulders trembling, eyes searching before her, she began to rock back and forth.

"I can't be here anymore," she whispered. "I can't."

Lance felt a knot form in the base of his throat, and tried to swallow it.

"Not even for me?" he said quietly, the last word almost too quiet to pick up on.

She looked at him with moist eyes as he kneeled next to her in the leaves. The girl sniffled, wiping at her face to clear the tears. Did he just say what she thought he did? Did he really need her?

"Kitty..." Lance whispered, eyes capturing hers. She was silent now, her mind stopped spinning and her thoughts became rational again. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he drew her to him. "Would you stay for me? I..." He gulped. "I love you..."

She gasped, the horrible images fading away into but a fleeting memory. 

"What?"

"I love you, Kitty Pryde. I need you to stay here with me... I need you to keep going." He took her face in his hands, looking deep into her eyes. "I love everything about you, your skin and your voice and the way you talk. I love your sense of humor, your gentleness...you make me want to be...better..."

His eyes told her everything else she needed to know.

"God Lance, I love you too..."

Their lips met.

She moaned at the unexpected contact, pushing against him with her smaller body, tears still staining her cheeks as his tongue entered her mouth. His lips were soft and moist, his mouth tasted sweet and warm. For some reason, one her mind couldn't rationally explain at that moment, she wanted him, wanted him against her and on her and _in _her. With him, kissing him like this in the moonlight, their situation seemed to lessen even the tiniest bit.

Lips working delicately against his, her mind reeled. She couldn't leave him. If it meant getting taken, if it meant dying, then so be it. 

She was still terrified, but she also was no longer alone.

His hands were running up her shirt, feeling the baby soft skin below, pulling off the pink pajama top. He was feeling her body as she pressed it and rubbed it against his, she was slipping her hands under the rim of his sweatpants, he was rubbing her thighs... She whimpered as he fingered her pajama bottoms, pulling them down, slipping them off, and pulling her into his lap. Their bodies moved together, up and down under the moonlight, perfectly in rhythm with each other as she began to tug on his boxers and pull herself over him.

"Take me Lance..." she moaned. "Take me --"

"Ahem."

The two flew apart immediately at the loud and very sudden voice, landing hard in the leaves. Kitty's face was flushed red and she sat awkwardly in her underwear, holding her shirt against her chest and breathing heavily. Her eyes were as huge as saucers.

Standing but a few feet away, looking _ very_ furious, was Logan.

-----

"I can't believe you two!"

If it were possible, Kitty would have dug herself into the floor and hid. But no, it wasn't possible, and instead she was being forced to sit and listen to Hank. She could have phased, yes, but that would have doubled the sentence she was about to receive... She sat, with Lance, before Ororo, Hank and Logan, her face red and eyes puffy. Storm was still in her nightgown, hair rumpled from sleep. Hank was wearing his large boxers and a very big t-shirt, face flushed.

"You sneak out in the middle of the night, and...and..." The blue mutant gestured wildly with his hands, at a loss for words. "Logan walks in on you...uh..."

"Going at it?"

Kitty shot Lance a look that said it all, and he immediately shut his mouth.

Hank blushed, not used to dealing with such things. "Yes...that. Kitty, do you realize that not only is it dangerous to be out that late, but you are only 16 years old?! You...you..." More gestures, more flailing of arms.

Ororo took the initiative and stepped in for the very flustered McCoy.

"Lance, Kitty...were you even thinking rationally tonight?"

The senior scowled. "Look, we were just --"

"Having SEX!" Hank yelled, too late realizing that the whole house had probably heard it. He put a large hand over his mouth, eyes wide, as Kitty turned a very bright red. 

"Like, thanks a lot!" she screeched, tears welling up in her eyes. "Now EVERYONE knows!

"Kitty I'm sorry...I just...I'm just very...uh...very..." 

"Calm down, all of you!" Ororo looked at them with hard eyes. "Hank, I can take care of this..."

The doctor nodded sheepishly, stuttered a quick apology, and left the room. From the back, Logan quietly observed.

"Children, this is exactly why we separated the boys from the girls..."

"Like, I'm old enough to --"

"Be quiet and listen Half-Pint," Logan growled, and immediately Kitty was back in her seat. "You two might just _learn_ something."

"Kitty, I'm very disappointed in you. Were you even thinking about the consequences? What if tonight had left you pregnant?"

The girl lowered her head.

"And you Lance, think about it as well. Would it have really been wise?"

"Ms. Munroe...Lance and I just, like, got caught up in the emotion, ya know? I was kinda...um...freaking? Lance was comforting me!"

"Kitty...I don't want to hear it right now. It's one in the morning. Go up to your room and change your clothes, I want you to stay up there and try to _sleep_ the rest of the night, understood? I'll talk to you in the morning." 

Kitty did as she was told and left the room, her mind cold. Ororo turned to Lance.

"I'll let Logan talk to you...man to man."

Lance groaned inwardly as the older mutant stepped forward. He shot a glare at Ororo.

"Try not to hurt him Logan..." she warned, before leaving the room. Between Logan and Hank, she figured that Logan would be the most capable of giving a boy a talk about girls and sex.

At least, she hoped so.

Lance sighed. This was not going to be fun.

-----

Kurt, in a word, was grumpy.

Already the other students were steering clear of him. Roberto had made the mistake earlier of commenting on Kurt's bed hair, and had nearly been mauled by the blue mutant. 

But that wasn't why Kurt was in the mood he was.

No, in fact, he was bothered by something _very_ different.

"Hey, you gonna eat that cereal Kurt?" a Jamie piped up at the end of the table. Four sat looking at him, though their eyes moved from him to his cereal and back again. The youngest mutant had fallen down half the stairs, which - while it didn't hurt him - had produced a few multiples. Jean had scolded him, telling him to be more careful about such things because they didn't have the food to feed all of his copies, but he honestly couldn't help it. Controlling his power was hard!

"Um...Nein, you can have it...." 

The Jamies set to work eating the Cocoa Puffs as Kurt continued to scowl. For once in his life, he wasn't hungry. He was too busy thinking about what Kitty and Lance had been doing the previous night.

He growled in response to the horrible thought.

Neither mutant had come out of their rooms yet, even though it was eight in the morning. Scott and Logan had both left to get more groceries, figuring they could beat the crowds to the store this early, and Ororo and Hank were busy figuring out what to do about painting the house.

Jean was the only adult up and around, and she seemed to be trying to ignore the whole thing.

All of the kids in the house knew what had happened. Some had already heard Kitty yelling outside, and had snuck to windows to listen. Others had awoken to Hank's exclamation, or the noise of doors being shut and opened again.

Others had heard Logan yelling from the first floor about being a man and being responsible.

But all of them knew that Lance and Kitty were in trouble, and all of them - save Jamie - had figured out _why_. The girls had seen Kitty come into their room late at night, and had heard the sniffling and the crying after she had buried herself in the sheets. The boys were surprised when Lance had gone to bed, breathing heavily as if he were very upset.

Jean had tried her hardest not to let her mind wander, but it had been hard. She had picked up on a few thoughts, and was ashamed for doing so. Now she was attempting to fix eggs for a few hungry mutants, trying to push the ideas from her head.

"Here you go...do you want some Kurt?" She pushed some fluffly looking eggs onto Amara's plate, and the girl smiled in thanks.

"Nein, but danke..."

Jean nodded sadly, knowing what was bothering Kurt. She put the remaining eggs on Tabitha's and Sam's plates.

"Do you want some toast, anything?"

"Nein, I'm not hungry."

"Kurt, you're always hungry..." Sam muttered from the end of the table. He piled some salt on his food, completely oblivious to Kurt's glare, and began wolfing it down.

"I zhink I'm going to talk a valk..."

-----

The blue mutant, holowatch activated, walked slowly through the trees around the house. Jean had warned him not to go too far, but he had barely been paying attention.

Why? Why had his Kätzchen done this to him? 

Kurt exhaled heavily, eyes misting over with tears. Ever since he had met her, even when she had looked at him in disgust, or complained about his fur and his fangs, he had loved her. It hurt him deeply when she'd recoil in fright, even if it were just for a moment, and it hurt him deeper when she made subtle comments about his appearances.

But this...this hurt the most.

His anger had died down since he had left the suffocating confines of the house, and now he merely felt an aching sadness in his heart. 

Was it Lance's bad boy persona that Kitty loved? Or was it his looks? His dark brown hair, his equally dark eyes?

Kurt would never look normal, no matter how hard he tried to act it for his Kätzchen. He would always have creepy yellow eyes, gleaming fangs that made kissing difficult, blue fur like some freakish animal. He's always have only two fingers and a thumb, awkward for holding hands in a movie theater. He'd always walk funny because of his toes.

And his tail. He'd always have a tail, with a spade, like a demon.

Honestly, Amanda had been the only girl who had ever really liked Kurt. She'd always told him he was beautiful, that his appearance was something to be proud of. His relationship with her had been the best thing to ever happen to him, for it had boosted his self esteem and confidence.

At least, it had until her parents had forbidden her from seeing him.

Amanda had refused to stop at first, telling Kurt that she'd always fight for him. But, as time went on, their time together faded. She began only seeing him in school, only talking to him between classes or at lunch. The non-mutant explained that it was hard for her to hide being with him from her parents, that they were becoming suspicious.

And then it had stopped altogether.

Kurt had been devastated when he realized that their love had died away, but he'd also been somewhat relieved. He'd liked Amanda, yes...possibly even loved her for a while, but his heart had always - _always _- been Kitty's.

And now _that_ was ruined, too.

What would happen in the future, if a girl ever showed interest in him again? Would she still love him even after his watch was switched off?

And what if he ever had a baby with someone? He would never want to bring a blue, furry child into the world. He'd never subject a child to that kind of life.

They'd hate him for it.

Kitty would certainly never, ever want to have a child with him. Even when she matured, even when they became adults and moved out into the world, she would always look at him the same.

Kurt sat suddenly onto the ground, tears matting the fur beneath his eyes. He just wanted someone to hold him, to be with him and sit with him like normal people did, the subject of fur and fangs never coming up, never an issue. He wanted to be able to walk freely, or go swimming, without people staring. 

Even at the institute, the first time he had taken his shirt off to dive into the pool, everyone had looked at him strangely as if they hadn't expected him to be completely covered in fur. 

As if he were a freak.

And then Kitty had complained that his fur was shedding and in the water, that it was disgusting. She'd spat out some blue strands, caught in her mouth from jumping into the pool, and gagged in revulsion.

Kurt shivered.

It was suddenly colder around the place, a slight breeze ruffling his hair and fur. With a two fingered hand he wiped away the moisture on his cheeks. There was suddenly a wind blowing, colored leaves falling around him in swirls.

His sorrow forgotten, the German gasped.

Flying toward him, a bundle of blankets in his arms, was Magneto.

TBC...

Ok, next one will come soon...maybe. -_- Hope this wasn't *too* bad! Feedback?


	4. So Many Things

A/N: Pietro in this chapter, finally. There is a quite a bit of him, so if you don't like him then ...oh well. Warnings go for mentions of sexual abuse/abusive situations and dark themeness. I am recreating Pietro and Evan's childhoods as well, so forgive me if you know everything about it and find mine wrong. -_-; It *is* an AU... :P

Also, I apologize if some of the writing is not too great or there are minor inconsistencies. I was tired and writing in a hurry during my classes. Rogue's accent is definitely screwed up. Oh well...

**Dusty**: Er...not quite a baby. Though, babies are cute and cuddly and it would be awesome... Yes, poor Kurt. It's hard to write Lancitty, considering I'm not a fan of it. :P

**KS-fan**: Magneto has other things on his mind, besides hurting Kurt! And Kitty's luck - she gets a semi-distraction from her little escapade with Lance. Woohoo.

**Me**: I'm flattered you like my writing! *blushes* It goes up and down I guess, depending on my level of awakeness and whether or not I am in a hurry... Heh, "get up to" is a funny pun, whether you meant it to be or not. It amuses me greatly.

-----

Jean nearly jumped out of her skin as a puff of blue smoke spread before her, and Kurt appeared. The German's chest heaved beneath his shirt, his eyes glittered.

"Jean! It's...it's Magneto!" the furry mutant panted. "He's _here_!"

Jean dropped her plate.

"What do you mean he's here Kurt?" Bobby stood up from the table. "Did you actually see him?"

"JA! He's here, I'm _ telling_ you!"

Sending a quick mental note to the residents of the house, Jean moved over to the window. Her mind swept the area, finding Logan and Scott, and sent them a message as well. She could barely feel Magneto nearby and for a moment was perplexed. 

Usually she wasn't talented enough to pick up on the powerful mutant at all. 

_He must not be paying attention_...

All of the mutants - young and old - gathered outside. Even Lance and Kitty had heard, and were standing uncomfortably off to the side of the house and the group. Hank and Ororo ran out last, watching the skies where they knew Eric would be approaching.

And there he was.

"What's _he_ doing here, yo?" Todd murmured to himself. He stared at the white haired mutant, the one who had controlled his life up until just months before, with hating eyes. The younger, newer students positioned themselves in the back of the group, unsure of who Magneto was but sensing that he wasn't welcome. Hank ushered them up to the porch as he and the older kids went forward to meet the approaching enemy.

Jean hoped that Scott and Logan got there soon.

Magneto landed softly on the ground before them, surveying the group of students, the leaves rustling anxiously about him. He wore no uniform and no helmet, though he still had a cloak draped around his shoulders. He was proud and tall, as always, though his face looked older, subtly haggard.

He held something, wrapped in blankets, in his arms.

"Eric..." Hank said quietly, staring the man down. Magneto stood where he was for a moment, perfectly still, before he repositioned his arms around the precious cargo he carried.

Ororo let out a small gasp, and Jean's eyes narrowed, as all present realized he was holding a person.

"Dr. McCoy, Ms. Munroe," Eric said, his voice strong and loud against the quiet of the forest. "Charles told me where I could find you." The figure, wrapped in blankets, slowly lifted from his arms and settled on the ground in front of Hank. "I need you to take care of him."

Eyes glittering, Ororo slowly knelt in front of the pile of the blankets. She noticed two pale feet sticking out from one end, a thin hand with long slender fingers just visible under the covers. For some reason, she feared lifting up those blankets from where she knew the face would be hidden, she feared what she would find.

"Who is it?" she whispered, looking up at Magneto. His expression softened for a second, but hardened again as he spoke.

"It's my ..." Eric paused, hesitated. "It's Pietro."

Murmuring rose from the small assembly. From near the back, Lance's eyes went wide.

"He was taken, and I have taken him back." Magneto furrowed his brow, forcing his eyes to remain emotionless. "I do not have the time to tend to him."

For a moment, Jean wondered if he knew his other child was missing, but her question was never answered as Eric was suddenly off of the ground, levitating. 

"I must go." 

"Wait!" Hank yelled after the quickly retreating mutant. "You're just going to leave him?!"

Magneto was already fading into the trees. 

-----

"Jean, what's going on?"

The telepath turned at the sound of her boyfriend's voice, her eyes sad and deeply disturbed. Logan was running just behind Scott, toward them.

"Jean?"

"Magneto came by," she said quietly.

"What?!" Scott stopped dead in his tracks, but Logan pushed by him and toward Ororo and Hank. The other students had been banished from the kitchen after Kurt had brought a cot in, forced to stand and listen at the door, and now the remaining adults stood around the makeshift gurney.

Logan swore as he saw what lay on it.

Lying stomach-down, eyes at half mast and glazed, was a lone boy. Logan immediately noticed the paleness of the kid's skin, the striking color of the hair even underneath all the dirt and grime. He was bruised from top to bottom, naked save for a blanket positioned over his waist, one long leg bent at an odd angle, the other mutilated along the calf and knee. His arms were laying neatly along his sides, his cheek pressed against the the soft mattress of the cot.

Logan couldn't help but recognize the boy's scent, couldn't help but think of another, recently missing mutant.

Pietro.

His fevered eyes were staring straight ahead, fixed on some unknown horror that Logan could not see. Briefly, Logan thought him to be dead, but there was a slightly rising and falling of the boy's back that indicated breath was forcing itself in and out of working lungs. One side of his mouth was swollen and yellow, blood staining the corners of it. Both eyes had bruises, there were healing slashes across his arms, and welts along his sides from burns.

But what Logan noticed most were the visible, dark handprints that still marred the frail thing's waist, yellowing finger-prints disappearing under the blanket and reappearing on the insides of his thighs. Dried blood stood out darkly against his hips, his legs. Logan knew right away what it was from, what had been done to the kid. He could smell it, sense the other men that had been there, the filth they had left behind in their sick pleasure.

His eyes wandered back to the figure's own. The boy was still staring, pupils slightly dilated.

"It's the Maximoff twin - the boy," Logan growled, a statement that seemed to echo in the silent room.

Hank merely nodded sadly, gently inspecting the Pietro's condition. He put a large hand on the Maximoff twin's greasy, silver hair.

The body was still.

"Pietro? Kid?"

The boy's breathing hitched for a moment, but evened out again. Logan felt a rumbling deep in his throat. 

"How does he look?" Scott's voice floated into all their awareness'. He turned his head to face the mutant. Even though no one could see his eyes, surprise was etched into his voice.

"Not good."

Scott winced as he surveyed the wreck of a human being lying in front of them. A question slowly surfaced in the back of his mind - Who had done this? Pietro's head lolled limply to the side, his lips parting slightly, as Hank lifted him halfway off of the cot to check his stomach for injury. The Brotherhood boy was thinner than Scott had ever seen him. The word emaciated popped into his mind. He could count every one of Pietro's ribs, was frightened by the way his sharp hip bones stuck out from his body. Though still a striking blue Pietro's eyes seemed to have been pushed back into his head, surrounded by hollow space.

Summers suddenly remembered Pietro's full mutation, his fast metabolism, and cringed. If he had been deprived of food for even a few days, it was enough to starve him.

Dr. McCoy laid Pietro back down, patting the boy's head. He frowned. The Maximoff was still staring.

Hank slowly peeled the dirty blanket off of Pietro's nude waist, his mind crying out with what he saw, the signs of abuse and neglect that met his eyes. Pietro, by all rights, should probably have been dead.

Eric must have found him just in time.

Hank looked back into Pietro's unseeing eyes.

"Pietro look at me," he demanded softly. He gently turned Pietro over, onto his back, and cupped the boy's cheeks and chin in his own large, furry hands. Eyes stared past him, into nothing. "Pietro," he said again, more firmly and more determined. "Look at me."

Slowly, cautiously, Pietro's eyes moved onto Hank's face. They were dilated, still not focusing on his furry features, and Beast could feel the kid's Adam's apple bob in a swallow under his hand.

"Do you know who I am?"

Eyelids moved to blink, remaining closed for just a second before opening again. Pietro didn't move, didn't make any indication that he recognized Dr. McCoy at all. His eyes, though the color was bright, were dull in feeling and feverish.

"Shake your head Pietro, you don't know me?"

Pietro's head was moving weakly in Hank's hand, side to side.

"Do you know who got you out of there?"

This time it moved up and down, in a slight nod.

"Tell me his name, then. Say something for me."

Pietro made a small, pathetic sound, closing his eyes and trying limply to turn away. He failed miserably. Hank held him in place, trying his best to be gentle but needing confirmation that the boy's mind and memories were still intact. Finally Pietro relented, relaxing in Hank's arms and opening his lips slightly to form silent words. They moved without sound for a moment before Hank could finally make out an audible response.

Pietro could barely say it, but he did, and Hank understood. "Mag...neto."

Hank smiled at him reassuringly, his heart aching. The twin didn't even use his father's real name. 

"And do you know who that is?" This time the blue mutant gestured to Ororo, who moved into Pietro's line of vision. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she watched the mere child before her silently stare. She had known Pietro since he was little, since he and Evan had played together before their rivalry.

Pietro finally whimpered, eyes blinking rapidly. "Aun...Auuuntie..." he whispered, speech slurred.

Ororo let out a small sob and covered her mouth.

Hank finally let Pietro's head rest gently against the cot's pillow.

"His legs are both broken," he said after a moment. "I can't fix them here."

Logan groaned. "We have to take him to a hospital?"

"If we want to fix his legs - yes. Otherwise, I can just do my best to stop infection..." Hank looked up. "He probably wouldn't be able to walk again though, if we keep him here."

Logan knew very well what Pietro's power was, and inside he raged. This was a tough decision.

"If we take him to a hospital, there's no guarantee they'll take him in for treatment," Logan said quietly. "They'll want our names, they'll wanna know what did this to him."

"We can't just leave him like that, Logan, not when something can be done... " Ororo's voice broke. "We have to _try_."

"Won't the professor know somewhere, a friendly hospital or doctor?" Scott looked hopefully at Logan. "Can't you contact him?"

The older mutant nodded slowly. "I can call him." He pushed past his companions, and through the throng of students eavesdropping beyond the door.

Jean looked sadly up at Hank and Ororo. "We need to give him a bath."

-----

"Where is he? What happened?!" Lance demanded as Jean, Scott, and Hank emerged from the room. Ororo had stayed behind to keep an eye on their patient and splint his legs.

"Lance, calm down...We're giving him a bath." He looked over the mutants gathered in the room. Some, mostly the younger ones, had left, but many of the students remained - including Evan. The boy stood, arms crossed, face emotionless. Hank couldn't tell whether he was surprised, angry, worried, or just bored. "Has anyone used the shower this morning?"

Amara slowly raised her hand, blushing slightly. "I did...I didn't think anyone was going to be using it..."

Hank sighed heavily. "And did you use all of the hot water?"

The girl shrugged slowly. "I don't know...I don't _think_ I did..."

Fifteen minutes later, a hot bath was sitting and ready in the first floor bathroom.

Carrying Pietro gently in his arms, Hank moved the boy out of the kitchen and headed toward the bath, followed by Ororo. Lance was by his side immediately, but Scott put a warning hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him. 

"Let me go Summers," he growled, pulling away. Todd was right behind him.

"We just wanna see Pie, yo."

Scott positioned himself in front of the bathroom door. "Look guys, you can see him after we clean him up, okay? He's...he's pretty bad."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It means that he's been hurt, seriously...we're probably going to have to take him to a doctor."

The two Brotherhood kids were silent, digesting the information. 

"So, he didn't skip out on us then..."

"What?"

Lance looked guiltily up at Scott, face a mixture of anger and regret and guilt, and shook his head. "I thought he ran off with his dad, skipped out. I guess...I guess not."

Scott had no words to offer him.

-----

Pietro murmured softly as he was set gently into the water, his hurt legs propped up against the tub's sides to keep them from getting wet. Hank was wary of exposing them to the hot water, even though they didn't seem to bother Pietro in the least. He wondered, faintly, if they were already beginning to heal wrong, and if Pietro could feel them at all.

The kid was filthy though, and needed a good cleaning. Besides his legs, there weren't any significant looking injuries that Hank could find. He needed to be washed, needed to be rid of the waste and dirt and blood that coated his skin. Then they could better tend to him and bandage his cuts and bruises.

The large mutant supported Pietro's head in one massive hand and gently splashed the boy with the other, letting the water fall over the kid's shoulders and back as Ororo put some shampoo in her hands. He slid Pietro slowly back, and let just his hair submerge in the water. The boy was silent, suddenly unmoving.

Storm smiled at him as he was lifted up again, trying to beget a response, and slowly began washing his hair. He was staring at her.

"You doin' okay Pietro?" Hank asked softly. The figure he spoke to didn't answer, and the blue mutant sighed.

"All done," Ororo announced in a sing song voice. Together they rinsed Pietro's hair clean, revealing the striking silver hair underneath. 

After about forty five minutes of carefully washing away all the dirt, all the filth that covered the boy, he was finally taken out of the tub and wrapped in a large towel. His frail body shivered violently, so Hank did his best to dry him completely before pulling one of his own t-shirts over the kid's head. It was horribly, horribly huge on Pietro, but it was also looser around his bruised backside. They did their best to put what ointment they had on his injuries and bandaged his arms and face.

"I wish now that we'd brought more medical supplies..." Ororo lamented from where she stood above them. "We really could have used them."

"Uh huh," Hank grunted, rubbing some ointment gently over one side of Pietro's swollen lips. "We really need to get him to a doctor. I have a feeling his legs have already healed. Could you set them?"

"They wouldn't. I put the splints on just in case..."

Finished applying a band aid over Pietro's upper lip, Hank began pacing...at least, he paced as much as the small space would allow him to. "They'll need to be re-broken, put back together. It'll probably mean surgery."

Pietro stared straight ahead, oblivious.

Kneeling carefully onto the floor, Ororo reached up and pulled a comb off of the counter as her blue partner began to ramble about medical procedures, about what needed to be done. The African "Goddess" began slowly running it through the twin's hair, cooing to him as if he were a baby and letting his pale locks fall along the sides of his face. She felt a sudden, strong maternal instinct deep within her. She'd always loved children, always loved being with them, and Evan had always been the object of her maternal practices. But now her nephew was becoming more distant, more angry by the day. Ororo got the feeling sometimes that he didn't even want to be around her.

She could remember him and Pietro when they were younger, when they used to be friends. They'd played catch in the park, had sleepovers, even baked 'concoctions' in the kitchen with spices and Pillsbury dough. Pietro had always been very bouncy, very outspoken. Because of his hyperactivity, he was almost always in a different foster home, with different foster parents, every time Ororo saw him. It never seemed to bother the child in the least, though most of the time he couldn't even remember his new parents' names. He and Evan used to make up nicknames and things to remember them by.

Evan had never told her why they had grown apart, become enemies.

Maybe it was the same reason that _her _and Evan were growing apart.

She pulled the comb back through his hair, trying to get it how he liked it. It was a strange hairdo, she thought, but it also fit his personality and his power. He was cocky, sure of himself, always hyper and moving.

At least, he used to be.

"I'm going to see if Logan got a hold of Charles," Hank said, and Storm looked up at him as he left the small room, leaving her once again alone with her nephew's broken rival.

-----

"Did you see him Kurt?" Bobby shuddered. "He looked like a skeleton."

Kurt nodded in silent agreement, his tail thrashing nervously behind him. Rogue was next to him, playing with the edge of her gloves and thinking. She had been isolating herself more and more from the other students and would have been in her room and in her bunk, but Kitty had retreated up there a few minutes before after receiving some less than friendly stares - one from Rogue herself - and a few giggles. Kitty was the last person in the world that Rogue wanted to be around, for she knew what had happened and knew what it had done to her brother.

But right then her mind was focusing on something else entirely.

"Ah can't believe that bastahd just left 'im here."

Kurt looked up at the sound of her voice.

"At least he actually...helped him..." His tail sat still for a moment, as if it were thinking as well. "He had _some_ good intention...I zhink."

"How do _you_ know?" His sister made a disgusted sound. "If _you_ 'ad a child, wouldn' you at least stay to make sure he was all right? Magneto didn't even bothah to clean him up! He 'didn't have the time.'" The goth shook her head sadly. "Poor Pietro."

"He looked dead..."

"Can ve _please_ talk about somezhing else?"

Silence fell over them again, and the only sound clear to them was Hank and Logan talking in hushed voices in the next room - the kitchen. The three could just make out what they were saying.

"Where is it?"

"A few miles north."

"An actual hospital?"

There was a pause, and Kurt strained to hear.

"Sort of... There are doctors and nurses, Chuck said. Volunteers or something."

Another period of quiet.

"They'll take him for sure...?"

"Chuck said..."

"Ah'm gonna see if Scott's unloadin' the food," Rogue said suddenly, making it impossible for Kurt to hear what was going on. He looked after his sister as she left.

At least _she_ knew how he felt about Kitty. It was good to know that someone was listening and caring, and the blue "elf" made a mental note to talk to her about the situation with Kitty and Lance. Somehow talking to her made him feel better about himself. 

Jean probably knew about his feelings as well, being a telepath, and Xavier had most definitely picked up on it, but Rogue was the perfect therapist to Kurt. They had bother experienced the horrors of the mother that was Mystique, had both been shunned or separated because of their powers. Rogue and Kurt related perfectly. 

"Uh...so do you wanna go explore or something?" Bobby said tentatively, swatting at Kurt's tail as it snapped up into his face.

"Nein, I don't zhink I could go out und have fun right now...Not after last night, and zhis morning..."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot. Last night musta been pretty hard on you, huh?" The brown haired boy smiled sympathetically as Kurt blushed, his face turning violet. "I can't believe Kitty would _do_ _it_ with Lance!"

"Bobby!" Kurt pratically yelled, his voice unusually high. "Don't...ACH! Don't spread rumors!"

"Oh c'mon --"

"And I don't know how you got zhe idea zhat it bothered me..." He folded his arms across his chest, putting on his best - albeit fake - innocent look. "Kätzchen und I are just friends..."

"Suuure...that's why you were so pissed this morning?"

"Er...uh..." Kurt frowned. "Exactly, mein freund. I vas just vorried for her - I don't vant her to get...hurt."

"You mean _laid_?" Bobby had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing as Kurt turned an even deeper shade of purple. "You're not very convincing you know," he snickered. Kurt looked at him indignantly. "Everyone here knows that you have the hots -"

"Zhat's enough! Mein GOTT! If it's not telepahts, it's sneaky little...little..."

"Brats?"

"Jawhol!"

"Look man, I just thought I should tell you that...well...you can stop trying to hide it so hard -"

*BAMF*

Bobby blinked, coughing.

"Damn, I hate his power."

-----

Kitty was starving.

She sat, legs crossed, on her bunk bed, mind going through all her options. She could go downstairs for food - yes - but that would mean being the subject of stares and whispers again.

Her other option was to just not eat anything.

The valley girl groaned, running a pale and shaky hand through her chocolate hair. There were too many problems she was dealing with, and hunger _definitely_ didn't need to be one of them. She was still mortified by what had happened with Lance and Hank and Logan and Ororo, she was still scared of the house and being found.

And now, with Pietro...

Is what what would happen if they got caught?

Her stomach rumbled loudly, pulling her out of her trance. She sighed.

_Food, humiliation...Food, humiliation..._

"Shit," she said suddenly. It felt good to swear, though she didn't make it a habit to do so. "This is like, too hard..."

Her mind and stomach coming to a decision, she phased through her bunk, through the floorboards, and bolted for the kitchen.

Unfortunately, she nearly ran head on into Logan and Hank. They looked at her strangely for a moment.

"Whaddya want, Half-Pint." It wasn't a question, and Kitty could tell that Logan was still slightly peeved.

"Like, _hello_ to you too..." she grumbled, realizing too late that taking on an attitude was not good for her health. She made her way to the fridge. "I was just hungry is all."

The two continued to look at her, as if she were intruding.

"What're you talking about, anyway?" _Please not me, please not me..._

"We are trying to find a hospital." Hank's voice sounded exasperated. "And Professor Xavier is coming by."

"What?!" Kitty almost dropped the carton of milk she was holding. _Great, the last thing I need is a lecture from an old guy about..._it. It had been bad enough getting one from Ororo.

Hank took a deep breath. "Don't worry, Ms. Pryde. Logan and I have decided not to mention..._that_ to him, though I'm sure he'll pick up on it." Logan merely grunted. "With all that's going on, well, we discussed it and all of us agreed that emotions are surfacing, running high...what I'm trying to say is..."

"Don't let it happen again," Logan interrupted. "If we ever catch you leaving your room during the night, I'll have both your hides - whether Lance is involved or not."

Kitty swallowed, knowing there would be no room for argument and greatly relieved. 

"Got it..."

"In the meantime, we're not going to ground you..."

Kitty mentally sighed in relief.

"So, like, why's the professor coming by then?"

"He wants to see Pietro before we take him to a doctor, and then he'll be accompanying us there. Apparently he knows someone or something." Hank shrugged. "I don't know, we'll work out the details when he gets here."

Kitty nodded slowly. "And, like, how's Pietro?"

They were quiet, Hank looking at the floor. "Not doing too great..."

"Ah."

She poured herself a bowl of cereal, wondering vaguely if Lance had seen him yet. Even though Pietro had at some point betrayed them all, she had the feeling that Lance still considered them a family, and that Pietro would always be a part of that family. He often talked about their household, about how they used to spend nights together eating pizza - when it was available - and watching their battered television set. Todd liked to talk about it too, though he highlighted the more humorous going ons. One time, he had told her, Fred had gotten stuck in the bathroom door with Pietro trapped inside. The speed demon had been swearing and threatening like a caged animal, running in fast circles continuously until Fred had been removed.

_Poor Fred_, she thought suddenly. He was gone as well, had disappeared with Wanda. 

Was he dead? Was he trapped somewhere, being tested?

Just because of his different genes?

Just because there had been no one to protect him or Wanda or Pietro, because everyone had abandoned them to fend for themselves, to scrape for money and food and heating?

They'd probably never know. Freddy didn't have a super father to come rescue him, and the X-Men would probably never go looking.

He was doomed, whether at that point he was alive or not.

TBC...

Who knows when the next chapter will be! I don't know, I will try not to be long... Please give me FEEDBACK! R&R! It sucks not having a beta.


	5. Babbling

WARNING: This chapter contains an account of RAPE. If you do not wish to read such a thing, skip this chapter...or skim it. It's not *that* descriptive, not like some I've seen anyway. O.o

A/N: Just as a note to all of you who are reading, this fic will very rarely take place outside the house or its immediate surroundings. I'm just telling you so you don't get weirded out...don't worry, plenty will happen, I just don't want to cut away from the house too often because it and its inhabitants are supposed to be the center focus. No view of what Xavier's doing in the gov't, no view of where the captured mutants are (besides in flashbacks) and so on.

And thank you to all my *awesome* reviewers! I am so happy. n__n Sorry it took so long! I haven't abandoned it, but I've been so stressed over this job...

**KS-fan**: I am so glad that you continue to read this. And yes, Pietro will get help...

**Dusty**: I haven't read a ton of the comics (just tidbits from different "series") but...Mags shot his kneecaps out? -_- ; Ooowie! Poor, poor Pie.

**Flame**: Glad you find it interesting, and that you want it to continue. :P

**me**: You'll have to see what happens to Pie's legs *laughs maniacally*. Wanda was killed (or at least Todd believes so) in the Brotherhood home, and Fred was taken to the same "unknown" place that Pietro was, but as of yet no one really knows who is doing this. Xavier, Logan, Ororo, and Hank have a pretty good idea, but the kids are left in the dark. Does that clear things up a bit? Sorry if it wasn't clear before. All these things are whirling in my head, and sometimes they just come out...strange... :)

**girlonthem00n**: I like Pietro too. And Kurt...and wee lil Jamie. Er, and I like Todd too, but I'm strange in that way. :)

**Breinni**: I'm happy to see so many Pie fans! Isn't he great? Yeah he's a traitor, cocky, kinda mean kid...but hey, lookit his dad!

**Mandy**: It's okay that your last review was hyper, I'm happy to see you're so enthusiastic about it! And don't worry, I will be continuing and hopefully finishing this. I have no intention of not doing so, and if I ever did I would post something to say. I hate it when fics are started, and then *never* updated. ARGH! The line you liked just struck as something Bobby would do. Poor Kurt. n__n And I love Jamie. You'll see more of him.

**Eboni**: I'm glad you came back to read it then! Oftentimes I too will skip over a story, but then later I will go back and sift through *all* the fanfics in the section and end up reading it. It's just something that happens... I've started reviewing more, though under a different name, because I think it's good to keep people motivated. It's kinda hard now to get good reviewers in the Evo-verse. I'm sure there are tons of people reading, but not many review...So thanks for yours! :P

**Radical-Seto**: Glad you liked the chapter *and* the fic... Sorry for making you wait! :)

**Jacob**: I'm glad you're still reading, and that you liked the last chapter.

**Calamari Rings**: Thanks for your wonderful review! Lol about the sadisticness. I have it too, it seems...Pietro'll be up and talking soon, if I'm feeling nice...Would you beta? I need one. All I need is editing, and for you to tell me if the chapter is stupid, badly written, full of plot holes...if you're feeling up to it... ? :P

Sorry about the weird timeslot of this thing. My brain was malfunctioning or something. :/

--A day from previous chapter--

Not much had happened in the twenty four hours since the powerful, magnetic master had arrived, left his son, had turned and gone. Gossiping about the two students who had snuck out and fooled around in the dark had almost ceased completely, or at least died down to a dull word here or there. Two boys were worried sick for a friend, a furry kid was love sick and heartbroken, and a white haired woman waited patiently through the night by a bedside, running a cool cloth over the forehead of her ill charge. 

The house stood darker, more grim in the soft, afternoon daylight. Rain had passed through the night before, possibly the result of a weather witch's sadness, and had left the house muddy and damp. Kids were running about it in drying leaves, some trying to clean its sides, others merely playing.

Inside, the mood wasn't any different.

Lance was pacing when Scott pulled open the door to the living room and stepped out, running a large hand through his not recently washed hair. Avalanche looked ragged and worried, his brows furrowed together in thought as he walked ten steps one way, turned around, walked ten steps the other, turned around... 

"Could ya stop that for a sec?"

The Brotherhood boy whirled at the voice.

"Uh...yeah, sorry Summers. What did they say about Pie? Can I see him yet?"

Scott was silent, studying Lance for a moment. He had never liked him, and had been the first to object when the Professor agreed to take him and Todd in. The rock tumbler had only proven himself to be reckless, and destructive. They were the _enemy_, Scott had said. It wasn't safe to let the bad guys live among the good guys, how could they be trusted? Cyclops had been angry and frustrated with Xavier, had voiced his opinion and shunned both boys from day one.

The day they came to the Institute had been a particularly stressful one for the students at Xavier's. Not only had they been threatened on an earlier outing to the mall, but Jean had been bad mouthed by a group of burly men, of whom Scott had to end up verbally defending her from. He couldn't have used his powers - that would have meant jail. No, instead he was forced to get pummeled after persuading them to go away failed _miserably_.

They weren't even punished.

And then, upon arriving home dirty and bleeding and bruised, they had discovered Todd and Lance standing idly in the front room, looking slightly frightened and unsure. Xavier had informed them that they would be staying for an indefinite amount of time.

Scott had stormed up to his room, shouting. How had the Prof _expected_ him to react?

Even when they had moved into the house, he had had a bad feeling. Lance's little fiasco with Kitty two nights previous had only strengthened his opinion of the delinquent. The kid was no good, he had told Logan. How could the Prof have agreed to continue to let them stay? They were bad news.

Or so he had thought. Then Pietro had shown up...

"Summers?"

Scott looked at his enemy, eyes searching the other boy's face beneath ruby glasses. Lance was definitely worn out, hadn't slept the previous night. The whole day before no one had been allowed to see Pietro save the adults, who were busy fixing him up, and it was driving the two Brotherhood boys insane. Todd had waited faithfully with Lance almost all night, even when the two were ordered to bed, but had finally fallen asleep that morning.

Lance, though, was still awake and waiting.

It surprised Scott to find a deep sadness in his eyes. He wondered, vaguely, if he should consider these kids his real enemy now or not. _They_ certainly weren't the ones who instituted the Mutant Registration Act. They were unrefined, yes, and delinquents, yes, and made many, _many _mistakes... but they were now going through something that Scott couldn't even begin to fathom.

"They said you can see him, Lance," Scott said quietly. "He's barely there, though. Ororo says that until the Prof comes, we're just going to have to deal with it."

He pushed open the door behind him, gesturing inside.

Lance nodded, "Thanks Summers," and pushed past him into the room.

-----

Pietro had been put on the sofa off to the side of the living room, blankets wrapped around him and tucked in up to his chin. He was still, save the slow rise and fall of working lungs. Glittering eyes stared at Lance as he tentatively approached. Ororo was gone, had left a moment before to clean herself up, and instead an empty chair occupied the space next to Pietro.

Lance sat in it.

For a moment, he merely took in the sight of his friend. He let his eyes soak up the thin frame just visible under the covers, the gaunt, white face...Unknown to him, Pietro's fever had only receded hours before, after being given a cold bath. He was still sick, but without the fever to further complicate things.

"Hey Pie."

There wasn't a response, though Lance wasn't quite sure if he had been expecting one. He hadn't really known just how bad Pietro was, and was at a loss for words. It wasn't shock, nor surprise, but more sadness than anything that overwhelmed Lance at the sight of his companion. It was a deep hurt, manifested in a lump in the teen's throat, a knotted, twisting stomach. He only felt this kind of grief very rarely. It used to come at the Brotherhood home, when they had been abandoned by both Magneto _and_ Mystique, when their dinners consisted only of some stolen candy bars, when Todd or one of the others became sick with hunger, or cold. He, at one point, had been working two jobs to try and pay for heating alone. Pietro stole food. Todd pick-pocketed where he could.

And still they had always been together, a broken and dysfunctional family. Things had begun to return to normal after Mystique and Magneto had backed out of their lives. Pietro had been forgiven, though it had never been verbally stated. The speedster seemed to put aside the fact that he was designated the leader by his father, and Lance Alvers once again became a sort of warped, pseudo father figure to all occupying that house.

Then the Registration Act was passed. Then people began coming by their house, their home, asking questions and pointing fingers. It became more and more hard to hide the fact that they didn't have a legal guardian at the place.

And then three of them were gone, just like that. Fred and Wanda, then Pietro...

The white haired mutant let out a small murmur, something that caused Lance to smile softly.

"How ya feeling? They taking good care of you?"

Nothing.

Lance sighed, his smile disappearing. 

"Ya missed a lot," he said quietly, fingering the edge of one of the blankets. "Todd almost went insane after...well, you know. We...we ended up moving into X-Geek mansion after...after it was just us. Summers drove me crazy...I swear, the guy is the most uptight, ass wipe I have ever met. He _actually_ had the nerve to try and get us thrown out. I thought he was gonna frame us for robbery or something."

Pietro shifted under the blankets, closing his eyes briefly before pulling them drowsily open again and blinking. He looked dead tired, and the rings of dark around his eye sockets didn't help his appearance. 

"You slept any Pie?" Of course there was no 'yes', nor a 'no', nor any other sound to satisfy Lance's question...not that he thought there would be. "I haven't been sleeping much either. The first night here...well, let's just say it didn't go all that well. It was quite a show, though I think that Wolverine's planning on carving my ass with those claws of his." He let out a laugh in spite of himself. "I got _the talk_ from the dude. You shoulda been there."

_You should have always been there_...

"He didn't even sugar coat anything, had those claws out the whole time. I though he was gonna bust an artery." Nothing had developed further from that night. Besides having to spend a day in their rooms, neither Kitty nor Lance had been punished further. Well, not _really_ punished anyway. Lance had suddenly become the victim of hard glares from Logan and Hank, as if it were all his fault, but no further harsh words had come.

Lance put a hand onto what he perceived to be Pietro's shoulder, padded by a sheet and thick quilt. He noticed, for the first time, that the boy was shivering.

"You still cold?"

More shivering...or was it trembling? Lance wasn't sure, but pulled the blanket up a little higher to frame Pietro's face.

"You look like a freakin' Eskimo." 

This time Pietro let out a small moan, turning his head to face Lance completely. His face was blank, but his jaw worked, as if to say something, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Was that a laugh?" _Yeah right, like 'Tro's gonna laugh right now_... Truthfully, Lance was feeling just a little bit scared. He had never known Pietro Maximoff to just lie still... Pietro was always moving, always babbling about something in that fast talk of his. It was only a few months before that Lance had figured out how to interpret what he was saying. When he _did_ stop moving, it was to sleep or eat, and even then his breathing was rapid and he tossed and turned or shoveled in food as fast as he could. The snowy haired boy in front of Lance, however, barely even breathed.

"Just hang in there, Pietro," he whispered, his voice shakier than he had meant it to be. "Baldy's comin', he'll fix you up."

-----

--2 days from previous chapter--

Students bounded down the stairs of the house, and gathered from where they were playing or working to greet the black van that burst up the driveway.

Charles Xavier looked upon the house and grimaced, wondering what had caused him to agree to such living arrangements. It was, in truth, the first time he had been there and seen it, though he had looked at pictures Hank had brought him.

Somehow, the photographs made it look less decrepit than it really was.

"Hey Chuck." Logan greeted the professor's van out front and helped his wheelchair out of it. "Welcome to our very _humble_ home..."

"Yes, I noticed. Have you gotten any paints or supplies?"

"Nah, just groceries. Too much going on..."

The telepath nodded, wheeling himself toward the porch and allowing Logan to hoist him into the house. Jean, Scott and a few of the students were there to greet him, but he didn't spend much time in conversation. He needed to get down to the situation at hand, for he doubted that being away from his ministrations in politics would be healthy to mutantkind. Who knew what would go on in his absence...

"I take it Eric came by?" he inquired softly as Logan closed the kitchen door. Hank and Ororo were already there, sitting at their makeshift conference table.

"Yeah, he came all right, brought Pietro." Growling, Logan pulled open the fridge and grabbed himself a beer. Xavier frowned.

"You keep beer here Logan?"

"Hey, I agreed to stay here and watch the kiddies, didn't I?" He popped the cap off with his bare hand. "I think I'm entitled to a little beer. Any kid who knows me won't be brave enough to mess with it." The rugged looking mutant took a long drink. 

"Well, how are things going then...besides Eric of course..." The Professor could sense they were hiding something, and Hank sighed.

"They're... going all right..."

Xavier let the subject drop, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. He knew it had to do with a certain valley girl, but he didn't bother to probe any of their minds. The Professor made it a habit to do so only with permission, though as of late that was becoming more and more difficult, and hard to resist.

"I want to see Pietro," he said instead, quite bluntly, looking into each of their eyes. Ororo wordlessly got up from the table and moved toward the door.

"He's upstairs sleeping right now. We put him in Logan's bunk." She pushed some hair back from her face and let her hand rest on her forehead a moment. "It's the first real sleep he's had since Magneto brought him...Maybe we should let him rest a while..."

Xavier pondered this for a moment. "He hasn't been sleeping at all?"

"Not really, no. I was up with him last night down here. He was...well, restless." Her eyes saddened as she spoke. "He still won't talk...We've been trying to keep the other students away from him as much as possible, though Lance insisted on seeing him. I think it's best we let him recover slowly..."

"I'd like to see him soon and look at his mind. We shouldn't delay here too long."

Ororo knew that the man wanted to see Pietro then and there, but she secretly hoped he would take her advice. Staying up with him had been difficult for her, especially since she had tried to talk to him. He wouldn't sleep, but would jerk his hands and arms nervously about, moaning softly. Half the time he hadn't even registered her presence.

_Ororo, I understand how you feel..._ She sighed as the Professor's voice boomed in her head. _I just need to see him, we should get him to the hospital as soon as we can. It's for his own good._

The woman relented, pulling open the door. "I'll go wake him then," she said quietly, disappearing beneath the doorframe. 

"I'll bring him down." Logan followed her.

The remaining blue mutant of the house stretched his arms out and groaned, letting them fall back onto the table. It groaned, in turn, with the great weight of those muscles. "What are you planning on doing?" Hank inquired, his voice deep.

"I'm just going to look into his mind, see what...happened, hopefully try and pull him back." He smiled softly. "Don't worry, I'll try not to make it too intrusive."

-----

Xavier gazed intently at Pietro, who was now lying on a couch that had been pulled to the middle of the main room. The pale boy pulled away as the man before him reached out and settled a hand onto Pietro's brow. The Professor offered him no smile, though, knowing what would come. He wasn't exactly thrilled about going into the boy's mind. He had a feeling that what he would find there would be less than pleasant.

"This will only take a moment," he whispered, concentrating his mind on Pietro's jumbled thoughts and memories. For a moment he could barely pick up on anything coherent, but slowly images began to surface. 

Some were gray and dull, some were bright and flashing, pulsing and throbbing within the Professor's head. All of them swirled together.

Xavier jerked in his chair. Lights were gliding past him.

Pietro was being dragged down a large hallway. The movement stopped near the end, where he was pinned against a cold floor. His legs were bound with everything and anything that would keep them from moving, that would keep Pietro from using his power. Someone, holding Pietro down with his knees, was pulling off these binds - the rope, the chains, the plastic cords. The boy's mind was speeding along, trying desperately to calculate an escape as his limbs were freed. 

But then a uniformed man pinned his left leg to the ground by the knee, and wrenched it up against his boot. It snapped with a sickening crack and shattered down the calf.

Xavier could hear Pietro screaming.

In another, lecherous hands were groping at his bare flesh, kneading the skin between his legs. His ruined limbs flared with pain as they were wrenched apart to make room for the man who crawled between them, jagged fingernails raking along his back. He was begging, pleading for mercy as a great weight descended upon him, a sweaty man pushing and thrusting and rocking against his body. No one helped. Most ignored it, some came to watch. Tears coursed down Pietro's face as he howled in humiliation and pain, his voice becoming frantic as his body was violated more and more violently.

Pietro was sobbing, vomiting, warmth spreading inside of his body. The guard zipped his pants back up, spit on him, and left him bleeding on the floor of his cell.

He hated them, feared them, loathed himself and his weakness. 

He had watched Fred be taken away, sedated, and Xavier saw it clearly. He had listened to the deaths of others as they were beaten mercilessly in their cages, pummeled into bloody piles of flesh and bone and then left for days to rot before being taken and replaced by others.

Experiments, needles, lights.

Charles felt physically sick as he saw all these things, and for a moment let his link fade. He returned though, bypassing more memories and searching deep for Pietro himself. He knew the boy was hiding, and had receded from reality. Because Pietro's mind worked faster than a normal person's, along with the fact that he could no longer use his legs and had gone through considerable trauma, the mutant had become trapped beneath his own whirring thoughts. He was barely conscious really, able to see out and respond little.

Xavier finally found him.

Images were spinning around in Xavier's head as he began pulling Pietro toward the surface. The child was aware of went on around him, but was seeing things as if he were very far away, from his place in the back of his mind. He now clung there, trying desperately to remain where he was as Xavier tugged him forward. Pietro was babbling suddenly out loud as Xavier finally broke his link, his voice shrill and panicked as he ranted and raved so fast that none could understand save the Professor.

He began to sob, still speaking rapidly about nothing in particular. His thin shoulders were shaking and trembling with fear and anguish as tears spilled down his cheeks.

Ororo was at his side almost immediately.

"What...?" She looked at Xavier, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry. I merely brought him out of hiding."

Storm encircled Pietro in her arms, stroking his hair, and was surprised to find that he was jerking away, trying to escape.

"Nonononononononononononono..."

"Shhhh." She put a finger to his lips. "It's all right Pietro..."

"Idon'tlikeitpleaselemmegoIwannaleavewheresdadmagnetosnotherepleasepleaseplease..."

"Pietro!" Xavier's voice was loud and demanding. "Slow...down..."

The boy took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut. Tears escaped through his clenched lids. "Why..." he whispered, voice cracking. He gagged, retching up some bile against the sofa. "Mylegshurt...ow..."

Ororo frowned and put a hand to his forehead.

"He's hot all of a sudden... 

Xavier merely smiled sadly down at the Maximoff, the son of his enemy and former friend. "I apologize for that Pietro, but it was..._necessary_."

The boy opened his eyes and looked blearily at all before him. Ororo was there, with Hank and Logan and the Professor. Hank offered Pietro a small smile, Logan remained placid.

Ororo was trying to be strong for him.

"O...kay..." he said simply, slightly confused. He pronounced each word carefully. "Where's..."

"Eric?"

"U huh."

Again, they were smiling at him, sad smiles. "He's not here right now Pietro," Ororo said quietly.

It was obvious that Pietro knew what she meant. He closed his eyes again, swallowing hard. Xavier had jerked a particularly painful memory, and he rubbed absentmindedly at his skin, his sides, as if he were wiping away unseen filth. Ororo stilled his hands.

"We're taking you to a hospital, Pietro." Xavier was talking again, rolling forward.

"Gonnafixmylegs?"

Hank sighed. "Yes, we are. Logan and Charles are going to take you up north aways, to some friendly doctors. Think you can handle it?"

He didn't respond, and instead clutched desperately at Ororo's shirt sleeve. She pulled him up into a warm embrace, her own tears threatening to spill.

"Iwanna...where's Lance?..."

TBC...

-----

Sorry for the lateness. I am surprised at the amount of reviews!

KEEP REVIEWING! I *must* have feedback... :P I am a review whore, yes. Forgive me for mistakes, etc, my brain is half eaten by fever.

**Next time:** Pietro is taken off after a goodbye, Kurt confronts Kitty, and all the occupants of the house receive a scare - especially Jamie.


End file.
